Castle
by EllieCake5
Summary: Warning: This is a salt fic. There will be class salt (Including Alya & Adrien) and Bustier salt. Based on the song Castle by Halsey, Marinette has finally given up on her classmates now that Lila fully has her claws in them. She's also given into her emotions, leaving the Queen of Hearts in her place. How will she overcome this challenge? And who will be there to save her?
1. Chapter 1 - Castle

Collège François Dupont prided itself upon being a prestigious academy in the centre of the city of love. Celebrities of all forms sent their children here to be taught by experts in their fields. At least, that's what they thought. For this school held a mean little secret that it would never reveal to any influential parent that used its services. In fact, this school was not prestigious at all. The teachers, barring a couple, lacked proper training and discipline and the school was overrun with bullies. And yet, the parents were none the wiser.

One student in particular was a victim of how the school treated the bullying issue. Marinette Dupain-Cheng first came to this school when the came of age and then proceeded to skip a couple of grades, making her the youngest in her classes. She was a lovely, smart girl that believed in doing good for everyone that deserves it. This led to her being voted the most popular girl in class and made the class president. Well, she was.

Unfortunately for her, a young Italian with a silver tongue entered the class and turned things upside down. She spun tales of meeting celebrities of all kinds and being the head of several charities. The students ate up all of these lies and hung on the vixen's every word. At first, Marinette thought it was fine. A little lie here and there to become more popular wasn't a new thing. But then she started lying about having disabilities, making her classmates do chores for her. She couldn't just stand there and let her friends be taken advantage of, so she tried to tell them of the lies, tried to disprove them in any way she could. They dismissed her as being a bully that was just jealous of Lila's many adventures. She was shunned, sent to the back of the classroom by herself. No longer was she their "everyday ladybug", she was just a petty bully.

It was three weeks ago that she stopped caring about the glares and whispers. No longer was she concerned with what they had to say about her, she was just sick of all the talking and the noise. After a much-needed conversation with her honorary uncle and rock star – Jagged Stone, she realised that they weren't really her friends after all. They just used her for her services. Free food was given to them by the bakery, free outfit commissions whenever they asked and a link to Ladybug for a reporter. (Little did she know that she is the actual Ladybug.) They'd lost all of these privileges when they cast her aside, though they were yet to notice the true extent of what she truly did for them.

Today was the day she'd been looking forward to for a while. She was finally going to resign as the class president. They never noticed the amazing things she did for them; they no longer deserved them. Smiling as she entered the room, she placed a note on her teacher's desk and took her place at the back of the room. Being there early had its perks, she was alone and could safely get to her seat without fear of being tripped and she could work on some design inspirations for those who commission her.

A blond-haired boy walked into the classroom not long after she herself had arrived. He was the same boy that had told her that she should keep her pretty mouth shut lest she cause Lila to be akumatised. Glancing at the note on the teacher's desk, his face contorted into a shocked expression. He made his way up to her desk with the goal to find out what was going on.

"Marinette," he started, concern in his voice, "you're resigning as class president?"

She looked up from her sketches with a blank expression. The crush she had previously had on the boy had surely fizzled out. "Yes, I am." It was only a few words, yet the impact it had on the boy seemed great. His face went through a variety of expressions before settling on one of disappointment.

"This is because of Lila isn't it? Really Marinette, you shouldn't be so mean."

The dark-haired girl sighed and massaged her temples. Closing her sketchbook, she turned to fully face Adrien, having a cold expression on her face. It reminded of the one his partner and Paris' heroine wore more and more recently. He'd noticed that Ladybug had become more focused and determined on beating the akumas, no longer staying behind to speak to Alya. "It is in part because of that liar, yes, but she isn't the sole reason. My commissions are becoming more popular and I need more time to work on them. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to continue my sketches now."

The class went mainly without a hitch. Lila, of course, was voted in as the new class president with Alya as her deputy. She almost felt bad for the wannabe reporter as she knew all the work would be pushed onto her. Never mind, it wasn't her job anymore. As the lunch bell rang, Mlle Bustier called Marinette to stay behind for a couple of minutes for a chat, causing the other students to start whispering 'is she in trouble for what she did to Lila?' amongst other things. Once all the students had left, the teacher began to speak.

"I was shocked when I saw your note on my desk, but that isn't what I called this meeting for. Lila told me that you purposefully tripped her up before class this morning, is this true I thought I'd taught you to be a good, poised student but I must've been mistaken."

"I mean no offence Mlle, but I'm sick of being poised. Lila lied about me tripping her up. I was already in the classroom when she came into school."

"Now, Now Marinette. No need to lie. Lila agreed no punishment is neede-"

"You're so quick to call me a liar and yet you believe whatever she says without question?" Tears began brimming in her eyes. There's no use crying about it, she thought to herself. They're not worth it. "Check the security cameras and it will prove I was nowhere near Lila all morning. And, if you don't mind, I'll be taking my leave. I need to have a conversation with my parents." Just as she said that, she picked up her things and walked out of the classroom, leaving a speechless Mlle Bustier to call the principal to have a look at the cameras.

Instead of going home however, she ran. She ran in the opposite direction, as far away as she could before collapsing in tears. It felt as though she was choking, like someone had put a fist around her throat. And then, everything went numb.

"Queen of Hearts, I am Hawkmoth. Your friends have abandoned and tormented you thanks to a certain liar. I'm giving you the power to make them feel all of the pain they have inflicted to you, physical and emotional. All I need in return is the miraculouses."

Her breathing stopped. No, no way was this happening. She was Ladybug, the hero that was supposed to stop the villains, not become one. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Tikki with the earrings. Good, at least she'll be safe. The small kwami flew up to her holder's cheek and nuzzled it.

"It's okay Marinette. I'll get help."

With those words, the kwami flew away, leaving Marinette to be consumed by the black magic. Her hair became jet black and tied into a high bun with two red sticks pinning it in place. Her skin was porcelain white with red tear marks staining her cheeks. A long black ballgown appeared around her figure with red and white accents and trimmings. Long black gloves adorned her arms and a red sceptre found its place in her hands. She looked like a doll. Spinning her sceptre, the crystal on the top glowed bright white. Oh, this would be fun.

In his lair, Hawkmoth started to grow tired. Then, the pains in his body started. It was excruciating.

"W-What is the meaning of this?!" He screamed through the connection with the akuma. He was curled up on the floor now, clutching his sides.

"This is the pain you make me go through every time one of your akumas attack. Tell me, how does it feel to not be invincible anymore?" She severed the connection with the supervillain. He wouldn't be bothering her any time soon. Turning towards the school, she smiled and started to walk over to it. It was time to invade Lila's castle. By the time she was done with her, her classmates would beg Marinette to become their queen again.


	2. Chapter 2 - Control

Idle chatter filled the courtyard of the 'prestigious' collège. Lunch hour had arrived, giving the students and teachers a much-needed break from classes. The students were all sat in their own little groups, usually no bigger than four or five members. Sometimes, these groups would come together, normally to complete a particularly awful homework set by Mme Mendeliev. One outlier to this routine would be the class of Mme Bustier. Taking up at least two of the largest tables, the class always sat together. What once started as an exercise set by their teacher in order to 'get to know each other better' was now basically a fan club of Lila's. Each student (barring Chloé and Sabrina) soaking in her tall tales like sponges.

"And that's when the mean messages started coming. She must've gotten mad at me after I told Mme Bustier about this morning…" A cacophony of affirmations erupted from the class, telling Lila it wasn't her fault and that Marinette was just a jealous witch. None of them noticed her distinct lack of injuries or tears.

When the topic changed to another one of Lila's amazing adventures, Chloé stood up from the table and began walking towards the front entrance of the school, ignoring the quizzical looks from her classmates. Before she reached the stairs, she suddenly stopped as her breathing quickened. Her eyes became dry and her whole body felt tired, as though she hadn't slept for a month due to crying. "Help me!" She screamed hoarsely, becoming more and more dehydrated. Her body collapsed onto the floor due to the sheer exhaustion and dehydration she felt. Sabrina soon rushed over to her best friend, trying to help her up and giving her water. Luckily, the heiress was still conscious, just very weak and pale.

"I'm afraid the water won't do much," stated a monotone voice, coming from the form in the doorway, "it didn't do much for me."

Queen of Hearts strode towards the weakened girl that was once her bully. Oh, how times had changed. Sabrina tried to stand her ground in front of the akuma, but soon slinked away under her fierce gaze. Cupping her hand on Chloé's cheek, Queen of Hearts sighed. "You hurt me Chloé." Her voice was almost hypnotic, people couldn't help but focus their attention to her. "I can't tell how many times I've sat in bed until morning, crying my eyes out because of you. I've held these secrets inside me for all this time and I finally think it's time they're freed." The doll-like akuma turned to the other students, focusing her blood-red eyes on a specific class. "What Chloé is feeling now is all the pain that she put me through over the years. And it's the same thing that's going to happen to the rest of you."

She began twirling her sceptre and not long after, a red beam shot out of the end, aiming directly at Lila Rossi. The Italian girl screamed in fear, before being pushed away from the beam by Alya Cesaire, who took the full front of the attack. The girl laid on the floor lifelessly for a moment, no one daring to move in fear that the akuma turns on them. Queen of Hearts stood there shocked, not expecting Alya to have sacrificed herself for the liar. "Alya..." she started before regaining her regal composure.

"Alya Cesaire, my supposed best friend. I must thank you for helping me stand up to Chloé on the first day of the year, but unfortunately, your recent transgressions against me have left a sour taste in my mouth. For someone that preaches about only telling the truth on their blog, you sure don't like checking sources for yourself." At this point, Alya began to stir. She held her head in her hands as she looked up at the one that had stuck her. "From this moment forth, unless you have concrete proof of your claims, nothing you say will be believed by your peers. Now you will know what it's like to not be believed by those you thought you could trust."

Alya's eyes shot open. She went to try and say something but immediately decided against it. Instead, she turned around to where Lila had been, only to find that the Italian had run off and left her at the mercy of the akuma. Queen of Hearts had noticed this too and sighed deeply. She had hoped this day wouldn't have resulted in a chase but here she was. Turning back to the class, she saw everyone trying to help Alya to her feet. The girl was desperately trying to tell them that she was fine but none of them believed her. A small cough got all of their attention as they focused back onto the akuma in front of them.

"Now that you have all seen what I'm capable of, it would be wise of you to not get in my way. Yes, you have all hurt me in different ways, but I only came here for Chloé and Lila. Cesaire here just happened to get in the way of that. If you don't mind me, I'm going to try and find your classmate."

"Marinette, please stop! You're scaring us!" The voice belonging to Rose Lallivant screamed. Queen of Hearts smiled sweetly and began walking towards the bathroom she believed Lila had hid in.

"God damn right you should be scared of me."

The door of the bathroom swung shut behind her. She kicked the doors of all the stalls but here was no Lila to be found in any of them. She went to storm out of the room when something in the mirror caught her attention. It was her except she was normal again. No tearstains, no ballgown and no magical sceptre. It was just regular Marinette, looking back at her disappointed.

"You can stop this you know." The reflection began to speak. It pointed to the sceptre in the akuma's hands. "Your mind has been poisoned by a deadly disease and only you have the cure. Just give your object to the heroes when they come, and all of this pain will be over."

"I'm well acquainted with the villain that's living in my head. Let's just say he didn't put up much of a fight." She smirked. Taking Hawkmoth down was a smart move on her part. She could be assured that she wasn't going to be controlled by him any longer.

"So, you've become meaner than your demons. But let me ask you one thing. Who is in control right now? Because it's certainly not me."

Queen of Hearts clenched her fists and looked down at the sink. She knew her reflection was right, but she didn't want to give in just like that. Not after how much pain she'd been put through. Revenge was her only option. Suddenly, she looked up and smashed the mirror in front of her. She couldn't stand the other version of herself criticising her. After what seemed like an hour of heavy breathing and panic, Queen of Hearts smoothed herself over, making herself look more presentable and walked out of the bathroom in search of Lila Rossi.

"I'll show them who's in control."


End file.
